Sing Us Ho me DOES A SPIRITUAL THAT MANY CONSIDER A NATIONAL TREAsuRE HAVE ORIGINS IN INDIAN TERRITORY? A ChOCTAW SLAVE- TURNED-FREEDMAN MAY HOLD THE KEY. By SUSAN DRAGOO OME THINGS IN life—anniversaries, birthdays, and taxes— are certain. In others, mystery beckons with whispers of pos- sibility and glimmers of resolution. Its shadowy lanes some- times lead to answers and other times to more questions. As Wallace Willis’ final resting place is does history—full of unknowns, its people and events are veiled by layers of uncertain. Some claim he is buried in S an unmarked grave at the abandoned time. Absolute proof can be elusive, and embracing mystery can be a way of Wilson Cemetery near Old Boggy Depot, where his granddaughter honoring the vagaries of truth. Close to home, one such instance involves a Frances Banks also may be buried. Wallace and his wife Minerva were beloved spiritual and a nineteenth-century man who lived on the land that reported to be living in Old Boggy Depot after 1861. SUSAN DRAGOO became southeastern Oklahoma. 58 January/February 2015 OklahomaToday.com 59 Swing low, sweet chariot, “Swing LOW, SWEET ChARIOt” wAS Delighted with the offer,W hite arranged for the Jubilees to meet in Coming for to carry me home. ONE OF MANY SPIRITUALS BORN OF THE Brooklyn with Reid, who taught the troupe six songs he had heard Wal- OWERFUL NOTES ROLL UNION OF AMERICAN SLAVERY, AFRICAN lace sing. Reid specifically mentioned from the throats of an two, “Steal Away to Jesus” and “I’m a African American quartet TRADITION, AND THE ChRISTIAN RELIGION. Rolling,” in the letter to his colleague. from Fisk University on a White later assured Reid that they were Pscratchy 1909 recording of one of the the most valuable contribution made to best known songs in the American Fisk by any one person. folk canon. Its release marked one of The Jubilee Singers performed the the first times a record label presented tradition, and the Christian religion. first heard singing “Swing Low, Sweet spirituals throughout the country and a performance of serious music by a First known as slave hymns, cabin Chariot.” He and his wife, Minerva, in Europe, and they soon became black ensemble. The Victor record songs, and plantation melodies, this came from Mississippi in the Indian standard material for the group, label’s wide distribution of the song music emerged primarily through word Removal of the 1830s with their Choc- whose popularity grew. Various ac- elevated its popularity, but “Swing of mouth, since few slaves were given taw owner, Britt Willis, who settled on counts suggest that Reid arranged to Low, Sweet Chariot” already had a the opportunity to learn to read and land south of Fort Towson. have photographs made—stories differ nearly four-decade public history, first write. As a result, the words and tunes For a few years, Wallace and Mi- as to whether they were of Wallace and appearing on the Fisk Jubilee Singers’ of spirituals tended to change depend- nerva worked at Spencer Academy, Minerva or of their children—which concert program in the early 1870s. ing upon the singer or singers. a Presbyterian boarding school for he planned to send to Fisk in honor of It was one of many spirituals born of One of those singers was Wallace Choctaw boys north of Fort Towson. the couple’s musical contributions to the the union of American slavery, African Willis, who was a slave when he was The Reverend Alexander Reid, a native SUSAN DRAGOO university. Regardless whom the photos depict, they have since disappeared. Scot, was superintendent of the acad- to Indian Territory until after the war, Some doubt their existence, but one emy from 1849 to 1861. At Spencer, when he moved to New Jersey. Oklahoma music historian does not. Reid often heard the couple sing songs “Many years ago, I was at Fisk Uni- that spoke of hard times and oppres- ISK OPENED IN Nashville, versity and visited the library,” says Guy sion. It may have been there that they Tennessee, in 1866 to pro- Logsdon of Tulsa. “I saw the photos came to be known as “Uncle” Wallace Fvide a liberal arts education to hanging on the wall near the entrance. and “Aunt” Minerva. African Americans. Within five years, A few years ago, I returned to see the Interviewed by the WPA in 1938, the school was in dire financial straits. photos and make copies. They were not Frances Banks, Wallace and Minerva’s George White, Fisk treasurer and music there. The librarians denied knowing granddaughter, spoke of them pass- teacher, created a choral ensemble of anything about them, but I saw them.” ing the time singing while they toiled students, the Jubilee Singers, and took in the cotton fields. “Grandfather was them on tour around the country to HAT HAPPENED TO the a sweet singer,” she said, mentioning raise money for the university. photographs? It is difficult “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” and “Steal Reid and his sons attended one of to question their existence, Away to Jesus” as songs he wrote. their performances in Newark, New given Logsdon’s eyewitness account. When the Civil War began in 1861, Jersey, in late 1871. The boys thought the ThisW mystery leads to a larger one, Spencer Academy was temporarily singing was good, but as Reid recounted because there are other origin stories closed. Wallace, Minerva, and some of in an 1884 letter to a colleague, they said for “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.” The their children were taken to Old Boggy they often had heard better at Spencer, best-documented comes from Ella Depot southwest of present-day Atoka. “that Uncle Wallace and Aunt Minerva Sheppard, one of the original Jubilee Reid continued to serve as a missionary could beat the best of them.” In the same Singers. Born in 1851 the daughter Above: A stone marker commemorates letter, Reid wrote that White told the of a Tennessee slave, Sarah Hannah the former location of Spencer Academy, audience the Jubilee Singers had so few Sheppard, Ella credits her mother with where Wallace Willis worked and Spencer plantation songs, there would be no new composing “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” RCHIVES superintendent Alexander Reid first heard A him singing spirituals, six of which he program for the concerts later that week. and singing it to her as a lullaby. later gave to the Fisk Jubilee Singers. “It at once flashed into my mind In Dark Midnight When I Rise, a 2009 Left: In this photo from the Jubilee that I could furnish him some pieces— history of the Jubilee Singers, Andrew E LIBRARY & E LIBRARY T Singers’ first year as a performance group, A genuine plantation songs—equal to any Ward attests that Ella Sheppard brought ST Ella Sheppard is seated at the piano. Her mother, Sarah Hannah Sheppard, I had heard that night, and thus help the song to White at approximately the sometimes is credited with writing “Swing on the good cause of education among same time Reid brought the six songs he TENNESSEE Low, Sweet Chariot.” Freedmen,” wrote Reid. had learned at Spencer Academy. Music 60 January/February 2015 OklahomaToday.com 61 “MY HUNCH IS THAT REID DID INDEED SHare ‘Swing LOw’ WITH THE JUBILEES... AND ENCOURAGED THE TROUPE TO INCLUDE IT IN THEIR PROGRAMMING.” tion’s folk heritage. It has been sung by believe he is buried in an abandoned hundreds of artists—including Joan cemetery near Old Boggy Depot Baez, Etta James, and B.B. King—and southeast of Wapanucka; others the 1909 Fisk Jubilee Quartet version are convinced his remains lie in the was listed on the Library of Congress African American section of the Old National Recording Registry in 2002 Doaksville Cemetery north of Fort because of its influence and impact Towson. Neither site includes his across a century of recording. marked grave, making either theory In the genesis of one spiritual, a few impossible to confirm or dispute. things seem certain. Alexander Reid What is indisputable, even to Alexan- shared six songs with the Jubilee Sing- der Reid in his 1884 letter, is the legacy ers in December 1871, and Wallace of “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” a song Willis’ version of “Swing Low, Sweet with roots in hard times. Chariot” was likely among them. It was “How little did those . slaves around that time that the ensemble realize that, in worshiping the Lord in began to include the song in perfor- their simple songs,” Reid wrote, “they mances. Reid’s statement about the were contributing not a little to build- credit given him by George White for ing up a great institution of learning his contributions to the Jubilee Singers for the benefit of their race.” suggests a gift of great significance. The markW allace Willis put on The Old Doaksville Cemetery is located SUSAN DRAGOO the song may well be reflected in the within the Fort Towson Cemetery. The version sung today. And while it is older Doaksville graves are in the northern unlikely he composed the song in section of the cemetery. The cemetery is in While some claim Wallace Willis is buried near Old Boggy Depot, historian and professor Toni Passmore slave songs was likely the result of an in- Hannah Sheppard and Uncle Wallace one event, he did in a sense create the the northwest part of town, approximately others contend that he and his Anderson, who wrote “Tell Them We Are dividual or group amplifying or altering created a version of ‘Swing Low’ out of song, Anderson says. fifteen miles east of Hugo on U.S.